Always Will
by Odji
Summary: Grell skips out on work, and it's up to William to bring him back. But when William overhears some startling revelations, he begins to question his feelings towards a particular red head. Grelliam one shot.


AN: Hello, Odji here presenting you with my newest one shot! This fic has been floating around in my head for a while, along with quite a few of my own personal idea's regarding Grell and the reasons he acts the way he does. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the fic! It's my first Grelliam after all!

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Always Will

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"I donno, William-sempai, I think he said something about his Sebas-chan." A young voice replied, sounding bored.

Reaper dispatch manager William T. Spears gave the younger reaper a flat look at the response as irritation swirled beneath the surface of his cold exterior. Of course Sutcliff had gone to that _demon_. Such disgusting creatures.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Knox. Do be sure to get your work in by the end of the day, I have no plans for overtime, even with Mr. Sutcliffs indiscretions." William warned, eyeing the younger man warily.

Ronald gave an affirmative sound, and William turned to leave the dispatch break room. As the raven haired reaper made his way to his office on the third floor, he found his normally stoic appearance tainted with a frown.

Now instead of a standard day at the office, he would be forced to hunt down his subordinate in order to avoid overtime. Because of course it would be too much to ask for Grell to finish his paperwork before he ran off with his questionable companions.

Making his way up the stairs, the reaper made his way to his office door, locking it. It wouldn't do to have mischievous co-workers entering his office when he wasn't present. Testing the knob to ensure the door was indeed locked, William turned and made his way back down the stairs.

It was time to go retrieve Grell Sutcliff.

* * *

"Oh, so aggressive~! What a wonderful lover you must be, Sebas-chan!" Grell giggled as he wrapped his arms around his thin waist, wiggling happily as his chainsaw scythe swung wildly in his hand as he moved.

His visit had been successful thus far. He had shown up not long ago at the door of the Phantomhive mansion, looking for a lust-filled fight with a certain red-eyed demon. With a few teasing advances and lewd jests, Sebastian had been ordered by his little master to remove Grell from the property, inciting a game of chase that ended with many bruises and cuts for the red headed troublemaker.

Now they stood in the Phantomhive gardens, Grell's face flushed from running as he happily regarded the less-than-enthusiastic demon.

"I'll ask that you not speak of my personal habits so openly, it is inappropriate and unbecoming." Sebastian said with a scowl, shooting the reaper a look of distaste.

"So cold~! Oh, just how I like my men!" The red head squealed, an overly large grin showing off his sharp teeth. "I am a hunter and you are my prey, Bassy, on a hunt for passionate love~!"

Grell laughed as the demon gave a disgusted look. 'It really is too easy to rile him up sometimes, though that deadly glare that he gives me just sets my heart on fire~!' The reaper thought to himself as he eyed the demon.

"If I was your one true love, you would think that you'd be more willing to please me. And it would please me if you would leave the property." Sebastian said, unamused by the other man's antics.

* * *

"I apologize for disturbing your afternoon, Earl Phantomhive, but I am searching for Reaper Grell Sutcliff. Has been here by chance?" William questioned the child at the door of the Phantomhive mansion, death scythe in hand.

The frown on the boy's face was enough of an answer for the raven haired reaper, but it would be impolite to walk away without receiving a proper response first. The child crossed his arms over his small chest, giving a nod.

"Yes, he showed up here about a half hour ago. Last I saw, Sebastian was chasing him around out back trying to get him to leave. You'll likely find them there." Ciel said as he stared up at the dark haired reaper on his doorstep. "Once you find them, please send Sebastian back to the mansion. He'll be late for afternoon tea."

William gave a respectful bow to the young Earl before standing at his full height again. Turning, the reaper heard the door close behind him as he descended the steps of the Phantomhive mansion, making his way around the large building towards the back garden.

The chirping of birds sounded from a nearby tree, and William couldn't help but enjoy the content atmosphere. Though he was often trapped in his office with a mound of paperwork, the normally stoic reaper could certainly appreciate such serene surroundings.

Distinct laughter drew the dark haired man's attention, sounding from his right. Walking onward, he made his way towards the obnoxious sound that cut through the peaceful surroundings. Voices became louder as he approached, and the reaper could make out Grell and Sebastian talking, their voices traveling though the yard.

A line of tree's separated William from the pair, and although he could see through the thick branches, it was apparent that neither man had taken notice of his presence yet.

"If I was your one true love, you would think that you'd be more willing to please me. And it would please me if you would leave the property." Rang the voice of the Phantomhive butler, annoyance radiating through the spoken words.

Just as William was about to slip though the tree line, he heard Grell give a half-hearted laugh. The reaper could sense the bitterness in the tone, and it made him pause.

"Ha, you? My one true love? I'm disgusted that you'd utter such a phrase, let alone believe it." Grell scoffed. "Although your body is to die~ for, I would find much more pleasure in slicing into that beautiful body of yours with my blade! The thought of you covered in your own blood, gasping for air as the cold darkness of death passes through your very soul… The passion of death, what a beautiful thing~!" The red head said with a dreamy sigh, his hands cupping his cheeks as he blushed as the morbid thoughts.

William stood by silently, watching the pair as they interacted. It would possibly earn him overtime, but he'd likely have overtime anyways by the time he was through with punishing Grell for his insubordination. Allowing curiosity to get the better of him, the dark haired man watched on in silence as he used his scythe to adjust his glasses.

"So… You're in love with the idea of killing me?" Sebastian suggested cautiously, his features passive as he watched the red head for a response.

"Well of course! Goodness knows you can't hold a candle to my William, you silly demon!" Grell said with a light hearted laugh. "You and he are very alike in some ways, both so cold and cruel~! But when it comes down to it, you're simply a handsome replacement! It's always been William in my heart. Always William…"

William was caught between surprise and annoyance at the reaper's words. Though he received quite a bit of attention from the flirtatious red head, he had never thought that the other man would go so far as to claim to love him to another.

Red eyes met his own, and the raven haired reaper knew that he had been found out. Ready to step forward and announce his presence, the reaper was stopped when Sebastian's attention flickered back to Grell, continuing the conversation as though nothing had changed.

"My, such strong feelings for someone who wants nothing to do with you." The demon said with a cruel smile. "It seems that your love for him is as tragic as those bitter-sweet love stories you love to quote." The demon's red eyes seemed to twinkle with mischief as he spewed the mocking words.

The raven haired reaper listened and watched as the demon mocked the red head, torn between piercing the scum with his scythe for daring to speak down to a higher being and allowing him to continue. After all, the demon seemed just as interested in punishing Grell Sutcliff as he was, so William might as well save himself the work.

"Yes, it is wonderfully tragic, isn't it? The greatest play I've ever been in deals with William you know. An unrequited love that I'll never admit to feeling, not seriously anyways." Grell said with a sad smile, placing a finger to his chin thoughtfully as he spoke to Sebastian. "To have William reject me would tear into my soul, I'm not sure I could take it. So I'll show this distasteful side of myself more openly, laughing and teasing him with loving words until he can't stand me anymore. How can he turn me away if he never knows?" The reaper as his hand drifted down to lightly touch his heart, eyes drifting down to the ground.

William felt his heart beating in his chest at the words, eyes widening as he heard their honesty. Stepping in now could devastate his subordinate, but allowing it to go farther could prove even more disastrous. The demon seemed to make the decision for him only a moment later.

"A bit late to keep that to yourself now isn't it?" The demon said with a cruel smile before turning his attention back to William. "Hello Mr. Spears. Come to retrieve your reaper I see?"

As Grell whipped around to face him, the red head's eyes were filled with shock and terror. His mouth was opened, and William could almost hear the soft gasp of air that the other man took. The raven haired reaper stepped forward through the tree line and into the open.

"W-Will… I…" Grell stuttered as he stood gaping, eyes wide and hands clenched at his side.

Before an explanation could be given, the dark haired reaper cut his subordinate off.

"Reaper Grell Sutcliff, your paperwork is incomplete and you are still on the clock. You will return with me immediately." William said, ignoring the look he received as he turned his attention to the demon. "Demon, your master requests you return to your duties."

With a smile full of feigned kindness, the demon gave both reaper's his regards as he made his way back to the Phantomhive mansion. The air around William felt stagnant and tense, and the reaper noted that his subordinate had not moved a muscle since the demon left. Familiar green eyes stared at him intensely, and the raven haired man wanted to shift uncomfortably, but resisted temptation. It would be foolish to show such weakness. Especially in front of someone like Grell Sutcliff.

Ignoring the swirl of emotions in his chest as he met the red head's eyes, William quickly turned away, his back towards the smaller man.

"Let's go, Sutcliff." He called to the other man from over his shoulder.

As he began to walk, he could hear the hesitant steps following him obediently from a few feet away. He was almost grateful for the distance between them as his thoughts turned back to the revelation from moments before. The man he had known for ninety years had admitted to loving, and even more shocking, he had been serious.

It wasn't often that William felt unsure of himself, but in this moment, uncertainty ensnared him tightly. Of course he was used to the red head professing his love and reaching out to touch him at inappropriate moments, he had never given it a second thought. Now that the truthful words had reached his ears, however, he could need to deal with the situation in a new manor.

His professional answer regarding the situation would be to kindly but completely shut down any thoughts of a relationship, but it seemed as though the action was unnecessary, considering that Grell seemed to know of that likely response. He could ignore the incident completely, but the raven haired reaper knew that he would not forget the admission.

That left him with an honest response. A response that William was not prepared to give. How could he when he wasn't sure how he felt about such a personal thing? Grell Sutcliff had been a constant annoyance for ninety years, teasing him and testing him continuously. But did he hate him? No. Although he was often annoyed with the flamboyant reaper's inappropriate advances, he did not hate him.

No, in reality, he was rather fond of the red head despite his obnoxious nature. In fact, the swirling heat in his stomach alerted him that he might even be _pleased _with the secret truth, and slightly offended that the smaller man found it necessary to hide himself behind an absurd facade to avoid the rejection he feared so badly.

William slowed his pace as they left the Phantomhive estate, allowing Grell to catch up as they approached the road that would take them to town. He could hear the red head hesitating behind him, but waited patiently until the other man was by his side.

Side by side the pair walked, the silence stretching onward as Grell avoided his gaze. With a frown, William finally spoke.

"Was it true?"

The question was loaded, and both men knew it. William waited silently for a response, for anything to clue him in to the inner workings of his co-worker. He could see the red head tense at the question, faltering in his steps before quickly catching up again.

"It's not as though I've never told you." Grell finally responded, flipping his long hair over his shoulder.

William reached up to adjust his glasses, eyes flickering over to the smaller man as they walked side by side. Of course Grell had told him many times before that he loved William. But those times were different, filled with lewd comments and sensual touches.

"You were hardly being serious during those moments, Sutcliff. How was I to know that for once you meant the words you spoke?" William questioned, raising an eyebrow. "…How long have you felt this way?"

The red head blushed his favored color as he met William's eyes.

"Almost ninety years." Came the soft reply.

William's eyes widened at the response. It was much longer than he could imagine, and the raven haired man was surprised that Grell had managed to conceal the fact for so long. Green two-toned eyed bore into his own, framed in long red lashes and speaking more truths than words ever could. A soft, bitter smile appeared on the red head's lips as he awaited a response.

"Much longer than a simple crush. That is good to know." William said with a nod, feeling the familiar flutter in his stomach that made him want to end the conversation.

A well aimed punch nearly collided with William's cheek, the raven haired reaper narrowly avoiding the hit by dodging to the side. He had expected such a response from Grell. The red head never liked to have his motives brought into question, nor did he enjoy being tested.

"How dare you!" Grell snarled as he turned to fully face his boss. "How DARE you suggest that what I feel is anything less than love?" The red head exclaimed, fists at his side clenched and trembling in anger.

William remained silent, his breath caught in his throat at the sight before him. This was the Grell he had once known. Full of passion and anger, eyes blazing with life and cheeks flushed a darkened pink. The red headed reaper was devastatingly beautiful.

'I must be a fool.' The dark haired reaper thought to himself as he began to walk towards his angry co-worker. Grell seemed to be hovering between anger and confusion, his snarling face falling to a frown as he watched his manager come towards him.

"I did not know your feelings for me, nor how long you have felt them until this moment. You cannot fault me for being cautious." William said firmly, adjusting his glasses with the end of his scythe. "However, now that I am aware I request that you step away from this persona you hide behind. I quite prefer this version of you."

Before the red head could respond, the supervisor leaned down to brush his lips against Grell's own. The kiss was soft and fleeting, but had the desired effect. Grell had been left speechless, the anger dissolving and leaving behind confusion and hope.

Stoic mask ever in place, William turned away from the reaper and began to walk again, silently pleased to hear Grell running behind him, eager to catch up. The smaller man stood by his side a moment later, offering a large grin as his eyes sparkled with happiness. With flushed cheeks, the red head slyly slipped a gloved hand into his own.

"I hope you know I'll likely have overtime after this stunt."

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AN: And there you have it darlings! I hope you liked the fic, and I can't wait to get some responses from my wonderful readers :D Got a whole line-up of new fics I'll be releasing within the next few weeks, details on my profile ;) Thanks for reading!


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